


A Traveling Soldier

by stardustandswimmingpools



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bus, F/F, Femslash, Fluff, Fuck This, LGBTQ Female Character, LGBTQ Female Character of Color, LMAO, Like, Pre-Femslash, Why? I don't know, a time bubble, alana is such a lesbian honestly, also a public bus, because i needed a reason for zoe to be on the bus that's why, buses are for losers whatever, but like, connor lives in manhattan, consistency is for professionals okay, here have some delightful femslash fluff, how come this feels so fucking short jesus, i guess actually, i like that 'bus' is just a tag, it's a weird au idk it's like, it's like a public bus except it's going to new york, it's like the kinda bus you'd use for a long trip, leave me alone, like two years later or smth, might make a part 2, most of my aus are time bubbles, my dad went to Yale so im basically a pro, technically theyre both characters of color, thanks olivia puckett ily, there is A Bus Involved, well kind of, what kind of bus is this?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-10-11 22:59:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10476459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardustandswimmingpools/pseuds/stardustandswimmingpools
Summary: "You know you're singing out loud to your headphones, right?" Alana and Zoe are on the same bus to New York: Zoe is visiting Connor, and Alana is scouting some college campuses, and that's all. Until Alana hears a melodious rendition ofWalking on Sunshine.





	

**Author's Note:**

> haha this is gay  
> got this from the prompt "you know you're singing out loud to your headphones, right?" and i needed more zoe/alana in my life so this just happened entirely by accident lmao  
> im sorry for my bad summary. i am NOT sorry for the dixie chicks reference, my mom likes them and therefore i know them and also they are cool and also i have no idea if theyre icons of female empowerment im just assuming lol  
> connor is in new york because i want him to be. he works at a fashion shop ok i just decided it DONT ASK ME  
> there might be a part two to this but just assume it's a standalone  
> enjoy!

It starts with _Walking on Sunshine_.

“ _And don’t it feel good,_ ” comes a hum from the bus seat in front of Alana’s. Alana, leaning against the window and watching the trees pass, and wondering exactly how many trees had passed since she’d started counting them (she’s at fifteen, now, but there could have been any number before she’d decided to keep track), perks up.

The girl in front of her — and it’s a girl, decidedly, with long waves of light brown hair cascading down her back, oops, Alana, your gay is showing, light brown hair _falling normally down her back like a normal girl’s hair would_ — is undoubtedly singing the lyrics to the Katrina  & The Waves’s classic. It’s quiet, and she’s skipping over some chunks in favor of humming, but yep, Alana recognizes that song.

She glances around the bus. There are only about seven other people, and they _all_ have headphones in. Briefly she thinks about what a disconnected world it is they live in before she leans back and looks back out the window, blocking out the girl’s singing.

It's not long before boredom consumes her (to be precise, it's nineteen trees later). She blinks back to earth and hears the girl singing again, this time lyrics she doesn't know.

“ _Ladies all across the world, listen up, we’re looking for recruits,_ ” she's singing, and honestly she has a wonderful voice. Alana has half a mind to tell her, but figures it's rude to randomly comment on a stranger’s behavior, and she's really trying to tone it down a bit with the forwardness. She leans back and closes her eyes.

Most of the songs are ones she knows, and a lot of them are old. Dixie Chicks. Fall Out Boy. _Wicked_ , the musical. Billie Holiday, classy. After the girl’s rendition of Queen Latifah’s _Ladies First_ , which is now shameless (and half-decent) rapping at a very audible volume, Alana decides to risk it. If nothing else, she can recommend a couple of Dixie Chicks songs herself. There's a great one about a soldier going off to war — what's the name of that one, exactly?

She leans around the back of the empty seat next to singing girl and taps the girl’s shoulder.

When she turns her head, Alana almost forgets what she's trying to say. Talk about _beautiful_. Cascading was definitely the right word to use for her hair, and also _tumbling,_ as in it _tumbles_ down over her shoulders as Alana’s heart just about leaps into her throat.

The girl clicks the pause button on her phone and takes a headphone out. She doesn't look irritated, exactly; more dazed, like she's just waking out of a coma.

Alana swallows. “Um, hi, I'm Alana Beck. Heading to New York to check out some college campuses on my off-time.” She pauses and sticks out her hand to shake.

The girl raises her eyebrows. “Um...I'm Zoe Murphy. Can I help you?”

Alana quickly pulls her hand away and blushes. “Sorry, it's just, well, you do know that you're singing to your headphones out loud, right?”

Zoe — what a musical name — only waits a moment before laughing, which Alana takes as a good sign and cautiously laughs along. “Wow, I'm so sorry. Yeah, I thought everyone else had headphones in and wouldn't hear me, I didn't realize you were here. Sorry. I can stop.”

“No!” Alana cries, and then Zoe looks weirdly at her. “I mean,” she continues, “you have a lovely voice and great taste, and besides it’s not like I have anything better to do. I wanted to recommend a Dixie Chicks song but I just _can’t_ remember the name. It's about a soldier going to war.”

“ _T_ _ravelin’ Soldier_ ,” Zoe says immediately, a smile spreading across her face. “I love that song, it's amazing. You like the Dixie Chicks?”

“How could I _not_?” Alana enthuses. “They're icons of female empowerment. So is Little Mix, which I heard you singing. And a few other artists. You have excellent taste, I have to say. When I was little, my mom played Queen Latifah’s music for me all the _time_.”

Zoe blushes. “You heard me singing along to _Ladies First_?”

Alana grins. “I think rapping is the correct term.”

Zoe buries her face in her hands, but the smile never vanishes. “No! I'm so sorry you had to be a witness to that.”

Alana chuckles. “That's okay. You're not half-bad.”

“I don't need you to spare my feelings,” Zoe says, lifting up her head. And then she says, “I'm heading up to visit my brother. He lives in New York. Manhattan. Lower East Side.”

“That's _so_ cool,” Alana says. “I want to live in New York. I want to go to Yale, though, which is in Connecticut. Someday I'm going to be a lawyer, I hope. How about you?”

Zoe snorts. “I haven't thought that far yet. Still gotta finish high school.”

Alana raises an eyebrow. “You're in high school?”

“I'm a senior,” Zoe says. “Well, I will be when school starts up.”

“I graduated this year. You should take up singing,” Alana suggests.

Zoe giggles. “Yeah, right. No, actually, well. I'm — I'm in jazz band at my school, which is a little lame, I know, but anyway, I play guitar, and I...well, I mean, I kind of want to, I don't know. Major in music or music theory or...something.”

“That's cool!” Alana says. “You should follow your dreams. I, for one, intend to speed through college and complete all of the required courses in my first year or two, leaving me at least two years to focus entirely on legal studies.”

“I'm not sure if that's possible,” Zoe comments.

“ _Anything_ is possible,” Alana says seriously. “Just because there's no precedent, doesn't mean it can't be done. Someone has to be the first.”

“I'm pretty sure James Madison tried to do that,” Zoe counters. “And had a mental breakdown.”

“I'm stronger than James Madison,” Alana says defiantly. “The founding fathers were pretty foolish, if you ask _me_.”

“No kidding. That thing they wrote called the ‘Constitution’?” Zoe draws finger quotes around the word. “ _Totally_ outdated. Don't need that garbage.”

Alana laughs. Zoe laughs, too, which gives Alana a good moment to appreciate Zoe’s laugh. It’s strong and clear and unbridled, filling the empty space and echoing around the mostly-vacant bus.

“Hey,” Zoe suddenly says. “You know what? How about we exchange numbers, and then when you finish racing through college like some speed-genius, text me, and we can celebrate.”

Alana almost stutters, which is _highly_ unlike her. “Sounds like a plan,” she says, pulling out her phone and unlocking it. She pulls up the contacts app and hands it to Zoe and Zoe gives Alana her own cell.

Alana types in _Alana Beck_ and her phone number. When she gets her phone back, she reads it over.

_Zoe Murphy,_ it says, with the headphones emoji next to her name. In the “description” section, it says:

_Going to New York to knock the collegiates out of the park? Sounds like a traveling soldier to me._

She blushes. How _highly_ uncharacteristic.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading this! and stalk me or whatever at @do-you-ever-really-crash or @vivilevone on tumblr.com thank you !


End file.
